This invention relates to a valve assembly structure for steam flatirons.
As is known, currently available steam flatirons of the professional kind comprise an internal steam chamber which is in communication with a pressure steam generator and is communicated, through intervening valve means, with a delivery chamber for the steam jet to be directed to a fabric being ironed.
Such flatirons have no internal heat source and are heated by the steam itself which is supplied in large amounts by the steam generator and can be delivered to clothing being ironed at a high rate.
Flatirons of that type must be currently provided with a valve assembly, of course, adapted for operation from the outside, generally in the proximity of the flatiron handgrip, thereby a tight seal toward the outside must be provided at the area where the control handle or rod is passed, and a shutter must be provided to control the communication of the steam chamber with the steam delivery chamber.
Valve assemblies currently in use tend to be highly complex in the construction of the sealing arrangement, and require highly complex machining for properly accommodating the valve body.
Another drawback of the prior approaches is that prior valve assemblies generally cannot afford a high rate of steam delivery because, due to constructional reasons, the valve body must be provided with steam passage holes which are relatively small, and condensation occurs in the valve body.